Moments before, Max could feel something heavy on his head. After a few blinks, the man began to detect pain in the back of the skull. He had no choice but to close his eyes again.
Not long after that, the heavy weight suddenly shifted. Faintly, Max began to recognize the voices of the couriers. Along with his hearing, the man’s sight gradually returned to normal. The walls no longer moved. They were still, just like Gabriella’s body lying nearby.
“Gaby?”
Holding his head and squinting, the man got up and checked. As soon as he found the woman’s heartbreaking condition, a sigh of disbelief escaped his mouth.
“Gaby?”
Without wasting any time, Max lifted the defenseless body into his arms. The pain in his head had been forgotten, replaced by an overwhelming fear.
With tears hanging down the cheeks, Max looked at the woman’s pale face.
“Gabriella, wake up,” he sighed with quivering lips. Some of his voice lingered in the very dry throat. Breathing was so difficult to do.
After swallowing hard, the man called his wife again. However, the woman didn’t move at all. Inflated lungs were almost undetectable.
Realizing that Gabriella was in danger of disappearing, Max’s hands began to shake violently. Holding his wife tighter, he shed tears.
“Come on, Dear. Get up …. Don’t leave me alone,” the man whispered as he didn’t know where logic was anymore. His crushed heart also lost its way.
With ragged breath, Max tried to warm his wife’s body. He continued to press his cheek against the head of his love and occasionally kissed the woman’s hand in his grip.
While his brain was gathering common sense, a courier suddenly came in, followed by another. Just at that moment, Max saw a bright spot. With puffy eyes forced to widen, he sighed, “Please …, save my wife. Help us.”
After blinking, the yellow vest courier immediately took out a cell phone. While waiting for help to arrive, Max closed his eyes and whispered hope.
“Please, Gaby, hold on.”
***
With tears in the eyes, Max accompanied his wife who was lying on a emergency bed. His gaze didn’t leave Gabriella for a second, as his hands continued to grip, not wanting to part.
Unfortunately, as soon as he arrived at the emergency room, a nurse blocked his way. With a wrinkled brow, the young woman directed Max to the nearest bed.
“No, I want to accompany my wife,” the man sighed as he tried to break through. However, he had only walked a few feet when a male nurse stopped him.
“You have to undergo an examination, Sir. Your head hurts,” the nurse said, pointing at Max’s temple.
“It’s just a small wound. Now, let me accompany my wife.”
Suddenly, the female nurse said, “Your wife will be worried if something happens to you, Sir.”
Unexpectedly, Max’s intention to take a step was thwarted. With quivering eyes staring at the curtain around Gabriella, he remembered the woman’s sacrifice to save him. A second later, tears fell again and his hands clenched into fists.
“Please, do it quickly,” Max said before following the nurse’s directions.
***
As soon as the long table he was sitting on came out of the machine, Max immediately glanced at the radiographer. “Has my examination been completed?” he asked, unmoved.
“Yes, Sir,” the man in green nodded while pressing the button on the side.
Without wasting any time, Max got up and jumped off the table. “Thank you,” he said curtly, before rushing back to the emergency room. He didn’t care if everyone was wide-eyed at his action.
With a roaring breath, the man walked quickly. His mind didn’t let go of Gabriella for a second. Tears always welled up whenever fear came to cloud the woman’s face in his mind.
As soon as he saw the curtain around Gabriella’s previous bed had opened, Max suddenly caught his breath. While examining the entire space, the man clenched his fists.
“Gaby?” he sighed with heartbeat that began to break the panic.
A second later, Max looked around for a nurse. The rumbling of breath had camouflaged the surrounding noise. His senses were in danger of sinking again.
After a while, the man finally took a step. He approached a long table, the place where the administrative officer was recording data.
“Where’s my wife? Where?” Max asked, pointing to the place Gabriella had been.
Instead of answering, the young woman behind the counter stared wide-eyed. “Sorry, could you please state your wife’s full name.”
Suddenly, Max banged on the table. “Gabriella. Where is she?”
The young woman gasped and immediately checked the computer in front of her. However, after pressing the enter key several times, her brows furrowed and she sighed. “Sorry, Sir. It’s not on our patient list.”
Again, the man dropped his fist on the table. “Impossible! I came here with Gabriella. How can you say that my wife is not on the patient list?”
Suddenly, someone interrupted the conversation, “Excuse me, Sir. Your wife has been transferred to the inpatient ward.”
As soon as Max turned around, his eyes caught the female nurse who had been handling his examination.
“Where is my wife’s room?” the man matter-of-factly asked.
“Upstairs, Sir. But before that, Doctor would like to see you.”
“I am fine. So tell me … which room Gabriella is in?”
The nurse suddenly took a faint breath. “Doctor wants to explain about your wife’s condition, Sir.”
Max’s panic suddenly froze. Without insisting on seeing Gabriella again, he followed the nurse’s footsteps towards the doctor’s room.
“So, how is my wife’s condition, Doc?” Max asked as he sat down across from a man in a white coat. His hands clenched tightly against the tension.
“Just like you, your wife has also undergone a CT examination. You don’t have to worry because there are no broken bones. Your wife is only physically traumatized by the hard beating. I will prescribe some ointment and the bruises will heal soon,” the doctor explained in a slow and clear voice.
Hearing the statement, Max’s heart immediately felt free. His shoulders were no longer tense. Closing his eyes, he released heavy air from his lungs.
“So, Gabriella is okay, Doc?” Max sighed for reassurance with a slight curve of his lips.
The man in the white coat nodded slightly. “Yes, your wife is fine. She is already conscious and resting. But, with deep condolence, I must inform you that the fetus cannot survive.”
In just an instant, the smile on Max’s face returned flat. With minimal blinking eyes, he looked at the doctor who pursed his lips in sympathy.
“F-fetus?” the man asked in a thin voice and an eyebrow raised in disbelief. His face had turned pale again with sadness peeking out of the corner of the eye.
“Don’t you know your wife’s pregnancy? She’s only four weeks pregnant. The fetus at that age is still difficult to detect and vulnerable to shocks. I’m sorry, Sir.”
Holding his breath, Max lowered his head again and kept his senses. The hot chest felt very tight. His safety turned out to be very expensive. He not only sacrificed the safety of his wife, but also the life of his unborn child.
“Does my wife know about this?” Max asked with very red eyes and a hoarse voice.
“Not yet, Sir. We want to discuss this with you first.”
A second later, Max nodded and swallowed hard. When he straightened his face, with trembling lips, he made a wish. “Please, keep this secret from my wife, Doc. I am afraid, she was shaken and her condition worsened.”
After taking a deep breath, the doctor nodded.